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12-year-old boy killed by stray bullet in Buffalo

Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to call or text the Confidential TIPCALL Line at (716) 847-2255.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Twelve year-old Bandar Elwaseem was hit by a stray bullet and killed Saturday night, and another man was shot multiple times. 

The shooting happened on William Street near Mortimer Street on Saturday around 8:30 p.m.

Police say shots were fired at a car in the parking lot of the Towne Gardens Plaza. Police recovered numerous shell casings from that scene.

Police say it appears as though some of the rounds were rifle rounds.

A 22-year-old man was shot multiple times in the midsection, according to police. He was taken to Erie County Medical Center for surgery. 

"The 22 year old victim is in stable condition, he underwent surgery last night said Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo.

"The Buffalo Police Department will not rest, we will continue to look for the person or persons responsible for this crime" said Mayor Byron Brown.  

The FBI has announced a reward for information that would lead to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the shooting.

As of late Saturday night, police hadn't had a chance to talk with the victim. They couldn't say for certain whether the 22-year-old was the intended target.

The 12-year-old boy was in an upstairs apartment when a stray bullet came through a window and hit him in the head. The boy was rushed to Children's Hospital but was pronounced dead at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

"This is a 12-year-old kid, had the rest of his life in front of him. I can't imagine what those parents are going through. I can't imagine where you even begin. Where do you start over with something like this? This violence ... people say it's gang members, violence against other gang members. It doesn't matter. There's innocent bystanders, and we've seen it all way too often," Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo said. 

Multiple units within the Buffalo Police Department are investigating, including homicide and intelligence.

"I have an 11-year-old daughter, and I can't imagine being in your own house and suddenly a bullet comes flying through the window. We've talked about this time and time again, this nonsense violence," Rinaldo said. "That's why we need people to cooperate. We need people to come forward."

As Elwaseem was a student in the Buffalo Public School District, Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash and Board President Dr. Barbara Nevergold release the following statement Sunday evening:

Dear Buffalo Public Schools Families: 

We and all of the members of the Buffalo Board of Education express our profound sadness and dismay for the tragic and senseless violence that has claimed the lives of so many children in our community. On Saturday evening, we lost another beautiful child, full of potential, to senseless gun violence that too frequently occurs in our Buffalo neighborhoods. Too many of our precious children are either injured or gone too soon due to gun violence. While we are focused on their graduation and bright futures, it is always horrific and unimaginable when a child is taken from us in this way. 

Board President Nevergold and I call on our faith-based institutions, our citizens groups, our parents, our Mayor and elected officials, and our schools - all of US - to work together to increase the peace and take clear measures to end the violence NOW! 

We teach our students to embrace peaceful conflict resolution through Restorative Practices. We provide Trauma Informed Care. We train staff in Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching practices, and we diligently prepare our Crisis Service Teams. Our Crisis Service Team and School-based Student Support Teams will join several of our community partners to provide counseling and other support services to International School #45, Lafayette International High School #207, Newcomer Academy at Lafayette #353, Montessori School #32, and Hutchinson Central Technical School #304. We are always prepared to assist our children and families in time of need. Nevertheless, our greatest prayer is that there will soon come a day when trauma remediation will no longer be necessary in our young people’s lives. 

Please direct your spiritual thoughts and earnest actions toward Badraldeen Elwaseem, who has passed on. His grieving family and an entire city mourn his sudden and heartbreaking death, as with each of the others, one that we will never fully understand. 

Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to call or text the Confidential TIPCALL Line at (716) 847-2255.

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